More Snow

It snowed again... But I'm thankful. As the weather warms I sometimes forget how nice it is to just sit around and live. Thats what we did today. Made more bread, pizza dough and spice cake. Watched the birds eat at the feeder and played on the floor in our tent.

This was from snack time today. He had milk and cheese ducks... When I look at this photo I see a little a baby that has made the journey to a little boy. I'm incredibly excited and slightly saddened by this.
A week from today he will be a year old... It's kind of bitter sweet.

Grandma.

She's 80 today. That's 52 more years of learning lessons, living courageously, and loving whole heartily than I have. She one heck of a lady. "the thing of it is" life's to short to always play by the rules. Some times you have to make up your own.



All the LOVE in the universe.

Horder

Two weeks ago I swiped my little plastic card at the Apple Store and brought home a new iMac to the Antrosiglio house. Our thoughts were that we would convert our old one to a server and I could finally retire my very loyal, but aging MacBook Pro. Instead of just putting it up on a shelf and using the hard drive as a place to store the things that I may miss someday in the distant future, I'm giving it up, and giving it to my sister who I'm sure will get a good couple of years out of the old girl. After all how much power does it really take to surf the internet? 


I thought this would be easy, cleaning up the last six years of my digital existence. Not so much. In that time I've gotten engaged, married, had a baby, been on numerous vacations, created handfuls of birth announcements, Christmas cards, shower and wedding invitations and a few surprise birthday parties. 


I've had to move all it to new places and hope that I haven't forgotten anything. The thought of losing any of those photographs that someday my family will look back at when I'm no longer here makes my skin crawl. 


It's been a great two weeks rediscovering all those moments that have come and gone again. Like finding old notes from high school or a dollar in the street. I even came across the the first email John had ever written to me. I still swoon now like I did then. I hope someday our grandchildren will have them to read and know just how much we loved each other. 


Here's a screen shot from all my cleaning. Cir. sometime last summer. It's hot and there are pickles. You can't ask for anything more than that. 

Maybe I'm obsessing to much but after all isn't all this stuff, all these memories, the foundation of our family tree, and
the toughest part of any tree is its roots. 


Today I'm thankful for:
#11 The ability to back up my digital existence
#12 the Open window in my bedroom 
#80 my grandmother on her 80th birthday. 

All the LOVE in the universe

Gull and Cheese

Green Grass Dreaming

Yesterday it rained and rained and rained some more. And the snow, there are still traces of it everywhere.

It's about this time every year that I've had all my fill of winter. I think about it often, being overtaken with an euphoria the moment I feel the warm south wind on my face, when the grass greens up. It's so wonderful, the smell of earthworms. When I can spend well deserve time in my flower gardens cleaning up what I left behind in the fall. Fifty degrees is tropical in March.

I took the long way home yesterday. I bumped and dipped my way down the back roads just for a change of pace. It clears my mind and gives me a feeling like nothing else. Those bumpy roads wake my soul.


The snow lays on the earth like a afghan.



Rain on the window as wipers, whip, back, and forth. Beautiful.


Good friends came for dinner last night. Tulips and jelly jars remind me of spring.

Today I'm thankful for:
#8 Rainy days
#9 The way my husband smells after a shower.
# 10 Dirt roads because real life doesn't happen along the highway.

Thanks mom

My mom came to visit a few days ago and she put jojo in the toy box just to have a little fun. Now he thinks it is the best place ever and for a few moments at a time he is so quiet looking at all those "baby" toys that I almost forget about the little guy, almost.







Today I'm thankful for:
#5 Muck boots, it's pretty wet out there.
#6 The five minute phone call with my mom tonight.
#7 My babbling baby. He always sings the best songs.

All the LOVE in the universe!

I got a feeling

Some days when I open my eyes I just know, I know that when I throw back the covers and place my feet on the the floor everything is just going to come together. I love those days. It seems more and more world is on my side.

It's the little things in life that make it worth living. Sunshine coming in the window, the pot of tulips just waiting to open on my kitchen table, the way John's arms feel around me at the end of a long day. I've been making a a serious effort to change the way I see the world. To make the most of the times when life makes my blood boil and to remember to sit back and enjoy the things that give me that lump in the back of my throat.

Yesterday as I was getting out of the shower I was listening to John and Joey downstairs. " Shhhhhh,  Joey don't you want to learn about yeast." John said. We've been making bread and enjoying it very much. I couldn't help but chuckle.

A couple weeks ago marked John's fourth year here in the mitten state. It's hard to believe that it's been that long. He's changed so much since we first met. He's still the loving, kind hearted man I fell in love with but he's really taken to the laid back lifestyle of the midwest. He loves looking up at the stars at night, stopped smoking, makes bread, drives a tractor, helps me in the garden, gets his hair cut at a place with one chair and a $7 price tag. He's left his banded bottom polo shirts for t-shirts with Joey puke stains and holes and He's more excited about a Radio Flyer wagon and this summers flea market season than I am.

Yesterday as we were searching for a new cat food at the store he was reading the labels. When I asked him what he was looking for he turned to me and said, "I just want to make sure there is more than beaks and claws in n here." He watches out for all of us, even the cat.

Here's a few from the past couple days.

 In the playpen and loving it. 

 He's getting faster and faster. Not even the giant mess of toys on the living room floor slows him down.

 I have to sneak in photos of him playing. He's always looking my way these days.

 John dancing in the kitchen for Jojo.

The world is such a crazy place that I think to better help my new mindset I'm going to list a few things with each post that I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for:

#1 The ability to photograph the life of my family.

#2 My boss calling me this morning to tell me I have an hour and a half of extra time this morning.

#3 The dryer without it I'd be wearing wet jeans to work.

#4 Nap time, I don't believe this really needs an explanation.

ALL THE LOVE IN THE UNIVERSE